King. Very reverend father in Christ, archbishop of the city of Manila of the Philipinas Islands, and member of my council: You will see by my decree of the same date as this, which this accompanies, what I have resolved and ordered in regard to the examination of the religious who shall exercise duties as curas in the district of that archbishopric—which is not discussed here in regard to seculars, as it is a settled and fixed matter. And inasmuch as it is advisable for the relief of my conscience, and that of yours, that that decree be fulfilled and obeyed carefully, I charge you that you do so; and if any indult or brief from his Holiness be presented to you, in behalf of the orders, exempting them from this, you shall advise my royal audiencias, so that they may do their duty, and my fiscal shall plead what is suitable. You shall advise me of what you shall do in everything. San Lorenzo, November fourteen, one thousand six hundred and three.
16
The following decree was given by the king prohibiting certain practices of the regulars:
“The King. To the president and auditors of my royal Audiencia of the city of Manila of the Philipinas Islands: I have been informed that the religious who reside in those regions have the custom of assigning at times Indian villages for the celebration of their chapter meetings, from which, besides the annoyances and wrongs that the Indians receive, it happens that the audiencias and governors are unable to apply the remedy for certain things that occur in the said chapter meetings, and that require despatch. And inasmuch as it has been considered that that is a cause for trouble, it has been deemed advisable to prevent it by ordering—as I do order and command by this present—that now and henceforth, chapter meetings of the religious be not celebrated in Indian villages; and that if there be reasons obliging the meeting to be celebrated at any time in any such village, those reasons be communicated to you, both the president and the Audiencia, and that your order and permission be obtained. Such is my will. Given in Valladolid, June thirteen, one thousand six hundred and fifteen.
This decree is translated from Pastells’s Colin,
17
The passage of the brief referred to above, is as follows:
“We, therefore, who gladly favor the increase of Divine worship and the salvation of souls, especially since we have been petitioned by each of the Catholic kings, giving assent to them petitioning after this manner, do, by virtue of our apostolic authority, concede and grant license and authority, by the tenor of these presents, to all and singular, the religious of any, even the mendicant orders, living in monasteries of their orders in the said regions of the Indias (of the Ocean Sea), or outside of them, by the consent of their superiors, so that they may freely and legally use the license obtained from their superiors, as is declared in their provincial chapters, to exercise the office of parish priest in the villages of those regions, such office having been and being assigned to them by a similar license, in the celebration of marriages and in the administration of the ecclesiastical sacraments, as has been their wont hitherto (provided that they observe the form of the said council in other ceremonies); and to preach the word of God and hear confessions, as is declared, so long as those religious know the languages of those districts; and no other permission of the ordinaries of those places, or of any other persons, shall be necessary. And moreover, by the same authority and tenor, we decree and ordain that the said bishop shall make no innovation in the places of those regions where there are monasteries of religious who exercise the care of souls. So likewise [we decree and ordain] that it must be resolved and determined by any judges and commissaries, who exercise any authority whatever, delegated to them or to any one of them, to him determining and interpreting otherwise by virtue of any authority whatever; and we declare null and void whatever else shall be attempted in regard to these things, by anyone under any authority whatever.... Given at Rome, at St. Peter’s, under the seal of the fisherman, March 23, 1567.”
See Pastells’s
18
The passage referred to above, which we translate from the original bull as given in Pastells’s
“Since, therefore, our predecessor Pope Pius V of happy memory, after hearing of the troubles which were said to have been inflicted on the friars of the mendicant orders by the ordinaries of the places and the rectors of ecclesiastical parishes in many ways, in regard to … the care of souls and the administration of the sacraments … not only decreed many things differently in certain of his letters to the said friars, but even those things that were recently decreed in regard to these things in the council of Trent, … we … decree and ordain concerning the said and concerning all other letters and regulations which emanated in any manner from the same predecessor concerning those matters to any orders and congregations of any regulars, including the mendicants, and concerning all and whatever is contained therein, that that regulation and decision, which was legal before the declaration of the said letters and regulations, whether by the ancient law, or by the holy decrees of the said council, or in any other way, be regarded as having force hereafter, and which they would have, had not those letters and regulations emanated, to which regulation and decision and to their former undiminished condition and limitation, we reduce them all.... Given at Rome, at St. Peter’s, in the year of the incarnation of our Lord, 1572 [
19
20
The original of this letter is conserved in the Archivo general of Sevilla; its pressmark, “Cartas y expedientes del Arzobispo de Manila; años 1579–1697; est. 68, caj. I, leg. 32.”
21
This document is obtained from Pastells’s
22
Juan de Bueras was born in the mountains of Burgos. He went to the American missions after having taught moral theology at Toledo. He was provincial of the Philippines in 1627. Later he became visitor of the provinces of New Spain and Mexico, dying at Mexico, February 19, 1646. See Sommervogel’s
23
See Vol. IV, p. 222.
